Man Utd ‘lurking’ to sign £60m Germany star after Ornstein delivers Fernandes blow | OneFootball

Manchester United are ‘lurking’ to sign Borussia Dortmund star Felix Nmecha ahead of Real Madrid as David Ornstein reveals a blow in their bid to sign top target Mateus Fernandes.

The Red Devils have already agreed a deal to sign Ederson from Atalanta for £35m to bolster Michael Carrick’s midfield this summer, but the United bosses are keen to add at least one more central midfielder to their ranks with Casemiro already gone and Manuel Ugarte also reported to be on the Old Trafford exit ramp.

They backed out of the race for Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson following Manchester City’s £120m bid and have since been working on a deal for Fernandes.

Fabrizio Romano revealed this week that United are in ‘direct contact’ with the Hammers to seal his £85m transfer this summer.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “The contacts are going to continue in the next hours and days for Mateus Fernandes. Man Utd are there.

“Man Utd want to get the player, and are in direct contact with the player’s camp. Fernandes is very keen on a move to Manchester United.

“The discussions on the player side are going well, both with the player and his camp.

“Now it depends on the club-to-club discussions with West Ham. They’re starting at an £85m valuation for Fernandes.

“Ideally, they wanted £100m, but the expectation is they could close the deal at around £85m, not less than this.

“Man Utd’s initial discussion with those taking care of this deal is under £85m. So Man Utd want to spend less than this.”

Jose Mourinho is also keen on bringing Fernandes to Real Madrid, though Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez is reported to be his ‘first-choice’ option, and The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed on Thursday night that Tottenham are also interested in the 21-year-old.

He wrote on X: ‘Tottenham Hotspur among clubs keen on signing Mateus Fernandes from West Ham United – separate to #THFC pursuit of Sandro Tonali. Interest driven by Roberto De Zerbi; wants #WHUFC talent as well as #NUFC midfielder.’

Man Utd ‘lurking’ for Nmecha

That may force United to look at alternative targets and after Sky Germany claimed last month that the Red Devils remain in ‘contact’ over a move for Nmecha, they now claim that the Red Devils are ‘lurking’, along with former club Manchester City.

The City academy graduate moved to Wolfsburg in 2021 before joining Dortmund in 2023 for a fee of around £25.9 million and a fresh contract with the Bundesliga side – signed in March to extend his stay until 2030 – has failed to curb interest from Manchester United, his long-term admirers, in acquiring him this summer.

It’s claimed Nmecha’s new deal includes a release clause of €80m [£69m] for 2027, dropping to €70m [£60m] in 2028, but reports from elsewhere have claimed the German side would listen to offers of around that £60m mark this summer.